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BOYS ARE DOGS by Leslie Margolis

BOYS ARE DOGS

by Leslie Margolis

Pub Date: Sept. 1st, 2008
ISBN: 978-1-59990-221-0
Publisher: Bloomsbury

Sixth-grader Annabelle is starting the year at a new school because her mother has moved in with her boyfriend, Ted Weeble, a man Annabelle unkindly thinks of as “Dweeble.” Having previously attended an all-girls school, she has no idea how to deal with the boys’ teasing here. As a bribe for cooperation with the move (Annabelle is certain) Mom and Dweeble have bought her an unruly puppy that she now has to train with the help of Good Dog! Raise Your Puppy Right. The book includes lots of down-to-earth advice that Annabelle eventually realizes might also be useful in controlling the unpleasant response she’s getting from the boys. With a firm voice and simple commands, Annabelle gradually gets her school life in order, finds new female friends and discovers she’s not the only victim of the boys’ teasing. Mildly amusing, the best part of this book is that it may empower a few middle-school victims to take charge of their lives, perhaps with as much success as Annabelle. (Fiction. 9-13)